Bylaws

(In the following text, "Society" shall signify the American Physical Society, "Council" and "Executive Board" shall signify the Council and the Executive Board of the Society, respectively; "Executive Officer" shall signify that Officer of the Society.)

ARTICLE I — NAME

This Topical Group of the American Physical Society shall be called the Topical Group on Quantum Information.

ARTICLE II — OBJECTIVE

The objective of the Topical Group shall be the advancement and diffusion of knowledge concerning the physics of quantum information, concepts and computing. The Topical Group will serve as a focus for fundamental problems of quantum theory, such as entangled states; quantum information, including quantum cryptography; and quantum computing.

ARTICLE III — ENABLING CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION

Article VIII of the Constitution of the Society, as said Article may be subsequently revised or amended, is hereby incorporated in these Bylaws by reference.

ARTICLE IV — MEMBERSHIP

The members of the Topical Group shall consist of members of the Society who have indicated, in accordance with procedures established by Council, their desire to join the Topical Group and who retain membership from year to year by the payment of designated dues or by other method established by Council.

ARTICLE V — EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Governance. The Topical Group shall be governed by an Executive Committee, which shall have general charge of the affairs of the Topical Group.

Composition. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the Topical Group, the most recent Past Chair, and two Members-at-Large elected to staggered two-year terms.

Executive Committee Meetings. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year. Any member of the Executive Committee unable to attend a meeting may name a nonvoting alternate to represent him or her, subject to the approval of the Chair. The Chair of the Topical Group shall preside over the Executive Committee meetings. A majority of the voting members, including at least two Officers, shall constitute a quorum.

ARTICLE VI — OFFICERS

Officers. The Officers of the Topical Group shall be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer.

Duties of the Chair. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and Business Sessions of the Topical Group at which his or her attendance is possible.

Duties of the Chair-Elect. The Chair-Elect shall act in place of the Chair if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Chair-Elect shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws.

Duties of the Vice-Chair. The Vice-Chair shall act in place of the Chair-Elect if the latter is unable to perform his or her duties. The Vice-Chair shall perform such other functions as may be explicitly provided in the Bylaws.

Duties of the Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall maintain the records of the Topical Group including minutes of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions, Topical Group activities, and membership lists. The Secretary-Treasurer shall notify the Executive Committee of matters requiring the decision of said Committee and shall prepare the agenda of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions. The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare minutes of Executive Committee meetings and Business Sessions and shall submit these minutes to each member of the Executive Committee and to the Executive Officer within four weeks after each meeting. Following elections, such minutes are to include the results of the election and a roster of the current Executive Committee membership.

The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the Council and Executive Officer of the Society informed of the activities and needs of the Topical Group.

The Secretary-Treasurer shall have responsibility for all funds in the custody of or placed at the disposal of the Topical Group and shall authorize disbursements from such funds for expenses in a manner that is consistent with the general policies of the Society and the Topical Group. Financial records shall be kept on an annual basis consistent with the fiscal policies of the Society. The Secretary-Treasurer shall present a financial report at each meeting of the Executive Committee and at the annual Business Session of the Topical Group.

ARTICLE VII — ELECTION AND TENURE OF THE OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Qualifications. Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee must be members of the Topical Group for at least two years prior to nomination.

Ballot. The Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be elected by mail or electronic ballot as hereinafter provided.

Nomination and Election of the Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Executive Committee Members. Each year the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least two candidates for the office of Vice-Chair, for Secretary-Treasurer during the final year of the term of the current Secretary-Treasurer, and for open positions of Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee. The slate of candidates will be balanced as much as possible to ensure wide representation among the various fields of physics included in the membership of the Topical Group. The Nominating Committee shall notify the Secretary-Treasurer of the results not later than sixteen weeks before the Regular Meeting, except under extraordinary circumstances. The Secretary-Treasurer shall inform the Topical Group members of the nominations made and shall invite these members to suggest candidates for the various offices and Executive Committee positions. If as many as five percent of the total Topical Group membership determined on 31 December of the year preceding the election suggests the same person for the same office, that person shall be deemed to have been nominated.

The Secretary-Treasurer shall poll the Topical Group membership by mail or electronic ballot, stating a closing date at least three weeks prior to the Regular Meeting. Ballots shall be returned to and counted by the Secretary-Treasurer or his or her designate. Election shall be decided by a plurality of those voting. If there is a tie, the Executive Committee shall decide the election, with the Chair voting only in the case of a tie among the other Executive Committee members. The Secretary-Treasurer shall communicate the results of the election to the Chair at least two weeks prior to the Regular Meeting and shall publish the results in a manner designated for official announcements.

Official Year. The official year shall be the calendar year.

Vice-Chair, Chair-Elect, and Chair. The member elected as Vice-Chair shall serve in that office for one year, then for one year as Chair-Elect, and then for one year as Chair. The Chair shall not be eligible for the office of Vice-Chair in the year following his or her term of office.

Terms of Office. The terms of office of the Officers and Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall coincide with the calendar year, beginning January 1 and ending December 31. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve for a term of three years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The tenure of a Member-at-Large of the Executive Committee shall be two years.

Vacancies in Offices. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair, the Chair-Elect shall succeed and complete the term and shall serve as Chair also in the following year. The Vice-Chair shall serve simultaneously as Chair-Elect during the remainder of the term and shall continue to serve as Chair-Elect in the following term.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of Chair-Elect otherwise than through advancement to Chair, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair-Elect. In this case, and also if the office of Vice-Chair becomes vacant for other reasons, the office of Vice-Chair shall remain vacant for the remainder of the term. In the next scheduled election, candidates for both Chair-Elect and Vice-Chair shall be nominated.

If vacancies occur in the offices of both the Chair and the Chair-Elect, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair and shall complete the term. In this case a special election shall be held to fill the offices of Chair-Elect and Vice-Chair. The members so elected shall continue to serve as officers in the normal succession order.

Vacancies in any other elected office shall be filled (or left unfilled) by the Executive Committee until such time as the vacancy can be filled by regular election procedures.

ARTICLE VIII — APPOINTED COMMITTEES

Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the immediate past Chair and shall include three members appointed by the Chair and one member appointed by the Council for one-year terms. The Chair shall ascertain through the Executive Officer the identity of this member. If the immediate past Chair is unable to serve, the Chair may nominate a member of the Executive Committee as a replacement. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates according to Article VII.3 of these Bylaws.

Program Committee. The Program Committee shall include three members appointed by the Chair to one-year terms. The Chair-Elect shall serve as Chair of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall be responsible, in cooperation with the Executive Committee, for arranging sessions of Society meetings sponsored by the Group, and from time to time shall organize special meetings and workshops. It shall also have the responsibility of assisting the Executive Officer in arranging meetings of the Society.

Fellowship Committee. The Fellowship Committee shall be chaired by the Vice-Chair or his/her replacement as selected by the Chair, if the Vice-Chair is vacant, and shall include three members appointed by the Chair, to one-year terms. The Fellowship Committee shall solicit nominations and propose candidates for APS Fellowship, shall review the qualifications of such candidates, and shall submit its recommendations to the Executive Officer of the Society.

Terms of Office of Appointed Committee Members. The terms of committee members appointed or recommended by an incoming Chair shall commence at the beginning of the year in which he or she assumes office.

Ad Hoc Committees. The Chair shall appoint other ad hoc committees as necessary, which shall serve only during his or her term as Chair.

ARTICLE IX — MEETINGS

Annual Business Session. Each year the Topical Group shall hold a Business Session during one of the regular meetings of the Society.

Other Meetings. Special scientific meetings of the Topical Group may be initiated by the Executive Committee and arranged by the Program Committee, subject to the rules and regulations specified in the Society Constitution and Bylaws. The rules of the Society shall apply to scientific sessions of invited or contributed papers held in conjunction with a meeting of the Society. The Program Committee shall have the responsibility for all arrangements concerning such sessions.

ARTICLE X — DUES

Dues for maintenance of membership in the Topical Group shall be established by Council.

ARTICLE XI — NEWSLETTER

The newsletter of the Topical Group shall be managed and edited by the Secretary-Treasurer, who shall oversee its preparation and distribution. The frequency and timing of these issues shall be determined by the Secretary-Treasurer, subject to approval of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may direct the Secretary-Treasurer to distribute complimentary copies of the newsletter to specified non-members of the Topical Group.

ARTICLE XII — OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Official announcements shall be made in the APS News, in special mailings to the membership, or in such other publications as the Executive Committee may direct.

ARTICLE XIII — PROCEDURE OF AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS

Proposal of an Amendment to these Bylaws may be made by the Council, by the Executive Committee, or by a petition to the Chair signed by not fewer than ten percent of the members of the Topical Group. If the proposed amendment originates within the Topical Group, it must be approved by Council before further action can be taken. Following Council approval, the Secretary-Treasurer shall distribute copies of the proposed Amendment to all members of the Topical Group not less than three weeks before the Regular Meeting and opportunity shall be given for discussion during the Business Session. If a special election is not held for membership ratification of the bylaws amendments, the Secretary-Treasurer shall again distribute copies of the proposed Amendment in conjunction with the next regularly scheduled election, accompanied by ballot forms. Adoption of the Amendment shall require a two-thirds affirmative vote by those voting.